Bennett clarifies he will not include Ben Gvir in any future government

20 February 2026, 4:12 pm

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Former prime minister Naftali Bennett attends the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations in Jerusalem, on February 17, 2026. (Yonatan Sindel/ Flash90)

Former prime minister Naftali Bennett clarifies that he will not include far-right Otzma Yehudit leader Itamar Ben Gvir in any future government that he could form.

“I want to be clear, Itamar Ben Gvir has no place in my government,” Bennett writes on X, along with a video of him campaigning and speaking to members of the public.

“That’s not because of ‘boycotts,’ but because he is a failed minister, who acts like a bully and a racist against the values of the State of Israel as a Jewish and democratic state,” he writes.

Bennett’s comments came after he was recorded earlier in the week at a conference saying he would not “boycott” Ben Gvir.